Food Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest 4.3 (3) 3 Reviews Quickly blanched greens and sizzling scallions and garlic meet in a surprisingly creamy vegan sauce for pasta, with a touch of white miso for added depth. Feel free to top with your favorite grated plant-based cheese, or just enjoy it all on its own. By Liz Mervosh Liz Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama. She creates and fine-tunes recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and EatingWell. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 large scallions, thinly sliced 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon), divided 2 cups coarsely chopped leeks, dark green parts only (from 1 medium leek) 2 cups stemmed and coarsely chopped green Swiss chard (from 1 bunch chard) 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white miso ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 12 ounces dried garganelli pasta 1 ¼ cups frozen English peas Fresh chives, sliced 1/2-inch thick Freshly grated vegan Parmesan, for serving (optional) Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium; add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring often, until garlic is tender and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon zest; let sizzle, undisturbed, for a few seconds. Remove from heat. Add desired amount of salt to boiling water. Stir leeks into boiling water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add chard and spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and deep green, about 1 minute, 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Using a spider, remove leek mixture from water, and hold over pot for a few seconds to drain completely. Transfer drained leek mixture to a blender. Reserve cooking water in pot. Add scallion mixture, miso, salt, and 1/4 cup cooking water to leek mixture in blender. Process until mixture is very smooth and has a thick heavy cream-like consistency, about 45 seconds. Set aside. Return cooking water in pot to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions for al dente, adding peas during final 45 seconds cook time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water in a small heatproof bowl. Return pasta and peas to dry pot. Add pureed leek mixture to pasta mixture, and toss together, adding reserved cooking water as needed, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce is loose and creamy. Add lemon juice and additional salt to taste; toss together. Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls, and garnish with chives and vegan Parmesan, if using. Rate It Print